Merrimack Valley Area

As of 2022, there were 31,749 veterans living in the Merrimack Valley, including 2,281 women veterans. This page includes local events and directories of veterans’ services; community resources; VA-accredited representatives, agents, and attorneys; posts and auxiliaries; transportation; and elder services; as well as census data for the Merrimack Valley area.

Tag any events you submit with #greater-boston and #merrimack-valley so they show up here and on our Northeast page. Use the listing below to search for events by city or town. As long as you include the name of the city or town in the listing, they will show up in the local listings.

 
 

The mission of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans’ Services (EOVS) is to act as the primary advocate on behalf of all the Commonwealth’s veterans. The Office provides outreach and support through various programs. EOVS offers assistance to eligible veterans and their surviving spouses through the MassVets Financial Benefits Program, administered by local veterans’ services.

Veterans may use the Mass Vet Benefit Calculator to see what they may qualify for and contact their local veterans’ services office to apply. MGL Chapter 115 requires each town/city have a veterans’ agent to administer these benefits, but two or more contiguous towns can also appoint someone to serve as veterans’ agent and form Veterans’ Services Districts.

Merrimack Valley Veterans Collaborative

 
 
 
 

VA-Accredited Representatives, Agents & Attorneys

The directory below includes VA-accredited attorneys and agents based in Merrimack Valley cities and towns as of July 2024 from the VA Office of the General Counsel’s Accreditation Search Tool. The VA provides accreditation to ensure VA claimants receive qualified assistance preparing and presenting their claims in accordance with VA Standards of Conduct.

Veterans Posts & Auxiliaries

The Veterans Posts and Auxiliaries directory includes information about the VFW and American Legion Posts, Marine Corps League Detachments, and DAV Chapters based in Merrimack Valley cities and towns.

VA Healthcare in the Merrimack Valley

Merrimack Valley veterans are served by the VA Bedford and VA Boston healthcare systems. VA Bedford’s campus, the Haverhill and Lowell outpatient clinics, and the Lowell Vet Center are located in the area. Anyone who has served in the military is encouraged to apply to determine their eligibility and Priority Group. Some veterans are exempt from co-pays.

  • The idea of service to VA Bedford came through conversations between MeVa Transit and Merrimack Valley Veterans Collaborative vision committee members identifying a transportation service gap across the Merrimack Valley region for Veterans and their families to access care.

    MeVa Transit was perfectly positioned to close this gap with their Medi MeVa van service and joined the MVVC’s September meeting with an idea of a service plan going forward. The hours are flexible and will vary depending on appointment times and demand.

    “As public transit professionals, MeVa was able to quickly design a program that would immediately address the need presented by the local veteran services community. We have created a program that is easy to use, without forcing our Veterans and their families to fill out excessive paperwork to access this service. Veterans and their families just have to call our offices to get set up in our reservation system,” said Amy Jenkins, Director of miniMeVa services at MeVa Transit.

Merrimack Valley Transit’s Medi MeVa is a no cost curb-to-curb transportation service launched in January 2024 to VA Bedford on Wednesdays & Fridays with one trip to Bedford in the morning and one returning in the afternoon for Veterans and their families who reside in:

  • Amesbury, Andover, Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Merrimac, Methuen, Newbury/Byfield, Newburyport, North Andover, North Reading, Rowley, Salisbury, and West Newbury.

Meal Delivery Program for People with Cancer

Magnolia is a free meal delivery program that provides nutritious meals to people living with cancer and their families living within approximately 25 miles of Cambridge. There are no financial requirements to participate in the program, but to qualify people must:

  • be undergoing chemotherapy, radiation therapy (excluding radioactive iodine treatment), hormone or targeted therapy, including immunotherapy;

  • have had surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or targeted therapy in the last three months, including immunotherapy;

  • have been discharged from a cancer-related hospitalization in the last three months; or

  • be receiving adjuvant or neoadjuvant treatment (ie, add-on therapy before/after main therapy).

If you think someone meets the program criteria, please ensure they live within Hanscom AFB or the towns listed here, which includes around half of the cities and towns in the Merrimack Valley:

  • Acton, Amesbury, Andover, Bedford, Billerica, Burlington, Chelmsford, Dracut, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Malden, Medford, Merrimac, Methuen, Newbury, Newburyport, North Andover, Tewksbury, West Newbury, Westford, Woburn.

Merrimack Valley Resources

The Green Book: A Resource Guide to Programs & Services for Older Adults & Persons with Disabilities published by AgeSpan (updated in January 2020) is meant to be used in conjunction with the Veteran Resource Guide of the Merrimack Valley (updated May 2018) to assist veterans, families, and professionals working with veterans.

Merrimack Valley Area Elder Services

Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs) are private, non-profit agencies established under MGL Chapter 19A. ASAPs provide direct and protective services, including information and referrals; interdisciplinary case management; intake and assessment; developing, implementing, and monitoring service plans; reassessing needs; and investigating reports of elder abuse and neglect.

MassOptions is a service of the Executive Office of Health & Human Services (EOHHS) that can also help older adults, people with disabilities, and family members or caregivers identify aging and disability services and connect to those that can meet their needs. Call (800) 243-4636 or click here to complete a referral.

Housing Advisory Council

Established through Executive Orders filed in conjunction with the Affordable Homes Act, the Housing Advisory Council and Commission on Unlocking Housing Production is bringing together a broad range of stakeholders from across Massachusetts to advise the Healey-Driscoll administration on strategies to address the state’s housing challenges. Regional listening sessions were held between April–June 2024. If you missed them, you can still provide feedback.

 
 

Merrimack Valley Veterans

Based on the 2022 ACS 5-year estimates, veterans make up around 3.4 percent of the population in the Merrimack Valley. There are 31,749 veterans and 585 service members living in the area. There was a 5.7 percent decrease in the number of veterans from 2021 to 2022.

In 2022, women made up over 7 percent of the veteran population (2,281) and 22 percent of service members (129). Around 58 percent of veterans are over age 65, including around 20 percent of women veterans. Around 76 percent of veterans in the Merrimack Valley have wartime service.

2021 ACS 5-year estimates

2022 ACS 5-year estimates

If you serve veterans and are trying to learn more about their demographics, you can explore the most recent ACS 5-year estimates from Census Reporter for cities and towns in the Merrimack Valley at the links below:

Around 36 percent of veterans in Merrimack Valley live in Essex County (11,510).

  • 8 percent are women (906).

  • 75 percent served in wartime (2,884).

  • 56 percent are over age 65 (6,410), including 18 percent of women (169).

Almost 64 percent of veterans in Merrimack Valley live in Middlesex County (20,239).

  • 7 percent are women veterans (1,375).

  • 76 percent served in wartime (8,626).

  • 59 percent are over age 65 (11,971), including 20 percent of women (278).